See P1: Cold-water coral can live as deep as 2000m below the ocean surface, well beyond the reach of sunlight and where the temperature can be as low as 4°C.
& See P2: Despite their dark, chilly location, these reefs are every bit as beautiful as their
tropical counterparts. The Lophelia pertusa reefs off the coasts of Scotland, Ireland, and Norway, for example, grow as delicate branches ranging in colour from orange to pink to white. Like tropical reefs, they are home to a multitude of other animals, including starfish, sea urchins,
anemones, sponges, worms, and crabs. They are also likely to be important spawning and nursery grounds for several fish species, including commercially valuable ones.
& See P3: Their biology is, however, very different. Tropical corals get most of their food from
symbiotic algae, which create energy from photosynthesis. Sunlight doesn't reach the areas where cold-water coral grows, so instead, these corals feed by scooping up microscopic organisms and food particles that drift past. Cold-water corals are also incredibly slow growing: it can take 400 years for a coral tree to become just 2cm thick. The largest reefs discovered so far are up to 3km wide and 45km long and are at least 4,500 years old - amongst the oldest living systems on the planet.
Q2. NOTES: Notice that the words that “their” refers to (cold-water coral) can be many
sentences away. This is common in continuous text.
Q3. The verb "scooping up" in paragraph 3 is best replaced by A. Eating
B. Gathering (CORRECT) C. Attracting
D. Capturing
See P3: Their biology is, however, very different. Tropical corals get most of their food from
symbiotic algae, which create energy from photosynthesis. Sunlight doesn't reach the areas where cold-water coral grows, so instead, these corals feed by scooping up microscopic organisms and food particles that drift past. Cold-water corals are also incredibly slow growing: it can take 400 years for a coral tree to become just 2cm thick. The largest reefs discovered so far are up to 3km wide and 45km long and are at least 4,500 years old - amongst the oldest living systems on the planet.
Q3. NOTES: “To scoop up something” means to take or lift up something quickly with your
hands. It is usually used of people but, in this case, is used of plants that gather up or collect food.
Q4. Cold-water coral are different to tropical coral because A. they contain many fish.
B. they have bright colors.
C. they do not receive the sun. (CORRECT) D. they do not require energy.
See P3: Their biology is, however, very different. Tropical corals get most of their food from
symbiotic algae, which create energy from photosynthesis. Sunlight doesn't reach the areas where cold-water coral grows, so instead, these corals feed by scooping up microscopic
organisms and food particles that drift past. Cold-water corals are also incredibly slow growing:
it can take 400 years for a coral tree to become just 2cm thick. The largest reefs discovered so far are up to 3km wide and 45km long and are at least 4,500 years old - amongst the oldest living systems on the planet.
Q4. NOTES: It is made clear in Paragraph 3 that there is a major difference between tropical and
cold-water coral. Tropical coral get their food from plants that need light whereas cold-water coral areas receive no light.
Q5. Which statement is not true of cold-water coral?
A. They are mostly in Europe. (CORRECT) B. They grow slowly.
C. They are home to many animals.
D. They are unaffected by the sun.
See P4: Although fishermen have known of their existence for a long time, it's only in the last
decade or so that scientists have really started to study cold-water coral. They have been found around the world, from the Bering Sea and northern Europe to Florida, the Galapagos
Islands, the southern Pacific, and even Antarctica. Most deep-water reefs are poorly mapped, and it is likely that many more remain to be discovered. Many mysteries remain even for the best- studied reefs, including the details of how the corals feed and reproduce.
Q5. NOTES: Cold-water coral appear to be spread all over the world - Europe, the Americas,
South Pacific, Antarctica are all mentioned.
Q6. We have little knowledge of cold-water coral because A. they are very deep.
B. they have not been studied in detail. (CORRECT) C. they are spread around the world.
D. they were recently discovered.
See P4: Although fishermen have known of their existence for a long time, it's only in the last
decade or so that scientists have really started to study cold-water coral. They have been found around the world, from the Bering Sea and northern Europe to Florida, the Galapagos Islands, the southern Pacific, and even Antarctica. Most deep-water reefs are poorly mapped, and it is likely that many more remain to be discovered. Many mysteries remain even for the best-studied reefs, including the details of how the corals feed and reproduce.
Q6. NOTES: Only recently have scientists started to study them because they are “poorly-
mapped” which implies they have not been studied in detail. Therefore “many more remain to be discovered”.
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